offee, bread and butter, crisp slices of bacon, a dish of steaming tinned corn. There we

ly and lightly enough, "

e wooded country had crept out upon them he could see the look in her eyes, the set of the r

ny things in his mind, but no other

m, and disposed his long legs uncomfortably under the small table. Inwardly he was devoutly cursing Dave Wendell for allowing anybod

and attacked his bread and butter as though its immediate consumption were the most important thing in all the world. And she, when she felt that he was not watching her, when his silence was almost a tangible thing, looked at him with quick furtiveness. The somethi

now all the t

was smiling, a little of his sudden restraint fled from him and

?" he asked.

On the trail,

rtain. It might have been anybody's tracks ... that is," he corrected with a quick broa

?" she ask

the creek where you came into the ma

saw t

nd did not answer for a moment he gave his attention to the black coffee which she had poured for him. "You sure k

wn fled before a hint of laughter. "I found it

yes, "Come to think of it it isn't the taste of it that a man notices; it's

oking beverage and without glancing up at him this time, went

bank in

t. Back there

see you,"

d glance at him as though seeking f

top of a hill half a dozen miles back when you got dow

opened in

at my horse's foot. And he

ome to the last stream. I thought that you were going to t

must have seen that o

ong seen following th

hink you recogni

t think.

how did

n her frankly lifted b

nd," with a quick, sweeping survey of him, "you are not a m

four of me?" He shook his head. "I'm the only man in

hief ... grey handkerchiefs aren't so common, are they?... meaning your tall sorrel horse that limped, and your bridle with the red tassel swi

heer amazement as she ran on, was a wonde

following you. If I had known his get-up was so close to mine, I'd have done a little

m?" she ask

lness as he stared past her into the smouldering fire

uneasiness crept into her eyes; then as he

place?" she asked abruptly

. Off to t

r trail?"

oing on,

ated, and then conclude

ner

ingers playing with his knife and fork. And hi

g to Dead Man's

was going to

r, "have got into the habit of calling it by the name of it

. W

know anything a

What Mr. Templeton

ng to turn you into another trail. He must have told you," and he was

on horseback. Is there a

briefly. "Just a

den long tr

m with intent, eager eyes; he was silen

y on the dark of the moon. I guess Mr. Templeton must have told you, but unless it's happened in the last month, there isn't a man in that town who has his wife or

Templeton gave me enough advice to last me a year, I think. I have

isfactorily ended, "I ought to be glad, oughtn't I? Since my trail runs that way, and since the Poi

e back, a very teasing smile, too, "if you'll care to call at the

him. I don't know half a dozen fo

demurely, "is Henry Polla

orning at the bank of Henry Pollard from whom he was buying his outfit, knew that he must have calle

added cheerfully, his assurance coming back to him, "you can't help that, you know. I d

nd went to the door to look for the upclimbing moon; the girl carried her chair to

ed in its ugly defiant fashion at the peace officers of two states. He was trying to see what the reason could be that carried her through this little-travelled country to the house of such a man as not only Buck Thornton but every one in this end of the cattl

ount aside into the ca?on. For she felt very sure that she had not been mistaken and, therefore, that he was lying to her. She frowned and glanced over her shoulder. She was a little afraid of a man who could look at her out of clear eyes as

u very

rned at last and came

t tired. Why

days ... and then after moon-up we can ride on. There's another shack where a man and his wife live just a